Improvement in eyeglasses



'N'ITFD` STATES PATENT OFFICE,

MANDEVILLE THUM, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

IM PROVEMENT IN EYEGLASSES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent-No. 216,812, dated June 24,1879; application filed May 15, 1879.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, MANDEWLLE THUM, of Louisville, county of Jeffersonand State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement inEyeglasses for the use of persons having failing or imperfect sight; andI do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription thereof, having reference to the annexed drawings, forming apart of this specification, and the letters of ref'- erence markedthereon, in which drawings- Figure 1 is a rear elevation of my improvedeyeglass, the same being an enlarged view in order to more clearlyrepresent the several parts. Fig. 2 is a plan edge view of the same.Fig. 3 is an inverted plan view of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail viewshowing the rear side of one of the clasping-springs B. Fig. 5 is adetail view showing the front side of one of the 'claspin g-sprin gs Band Figs. 6 and 7 are modified constructions of my improved eyeglass,shown in Fig. 1.

The nature of my invention consists in certain constructions andcombinations, wherein a rigid or inflexible bridge is made available ineyeglasses, while at the same time provis ion is made for retaining suchglass in position in the act of use by springs, which do not form a partof the bridge between the eyeframes of the ordinary1 eyeglass, ashereinafter described and specifically claimed.. l

Inthe drawings, A A represent eye-frames, in which lenses b are set inthe usual manner, the latter frame vhavin g a handle, as at a. 0n theupper portions of said frames bridge-rests, as at a?, are provided,having upwardly-projecting side laps a3. The faces of these bridge-restsare plane surfaced,'so as to properly adjoin the under fiat surface ofthe outer slotted ends of the bridge C when in place and between thelaps co3, as shown in Figs. l and 2, and there secured by set-screws c',which pass through the slots c and into the bridge-rests a2, asindicated in said gnres.

C represents the bridge of my improved eyeglass. It should beconstructed of metal so much larger and heavier than that used in makingeither the eye-frames A A or the nosesprings B that it will remain rigidand inflex ible under whatever pressure may be required to seat theeyeglass upon the nose in the act of use; and as its ends are slotted ato o, the eye-frames, with the lenses b and nose-springs B, lnay be adjusted farther apart or nearer togetherby the set-screws c', according tothe space between the eyes of the person using the eyeglass.

At the lower portion of the frames A A nose-spring rests c* areprovided, upon which the nose-springs B are secured at their lowerextremities, while the upper ends, d, of said springs are free andunattached to any portion of the eyeglass, and therefore cannot pressseverely upon the sides of the nose under or in connection with therigid and unyieldin g condition of the bridge C in the act of wearingthe eyeglass.

It will be seen by reference to Figs. l and 2 that those portions of thenose-spring rests al upon which the lower extremities of the nosespringsare secured are made oblique to the vertical longitudinal plane of theframe A A' and bridge C; and it will also be seen by reference to thefigures from Fig. 1 to 5, inclusive, that the nose-springs B B are soformed as to have their inner and outer surfaces oblique to the samevertical plane, and that they are made from their seated ends on therests al al to curve upwardly and outwardly, and with a like Obliquitythroughout their length until finally they have their terminating endsd. just outside of said plane. The 'effect of suchconstruction and setof the nose-springs is, first, to give a backward thrust or stay to theeyeglass against any tendency to fall in a forward direction 0E from thenose; and,sec ond, to present the broad inner surfaces, c, in ajuxtaposition with and adaptable to that curved or `concave portion ofthe human face which is located on either side of the upper section ofthe nose, and thus prevent any rid gy indentation of the iesh by thepressure of an edge of the springs thereon.

In Figs. 6 and 7 I show modifications of my invention, in both of whichthe eye-frames are not adjustable, but in both of which the rigid bridgeis an element of construction in connection with the oblique facce ofthe nose-springs.

The bridge shown might, at the center of' its length, be provided with ajoint, so as to permit the folding together of the two sections oneither side of said center, the joint being so constructed as not tointerfere with the rigidity of the bridge when the two sections arethrown open and into the position shown in Figs. l, 6, and 7.

I claim-- 1. In an eyeglass, the combination of an inexible or rigidbridge, C, eye-frames A A', and springs B B, lnwing unrestricted ends d,substantiellyzis and for the purpose described.

QMLSIEB 2. In im eyeglass, the combination of an inflexible or rigidbridge, C, eye-frames A A', and springs B B, set obliquely to thevertical longitudinal pla-ne of the eye-frames, subst-antially as andfor the purpose described.

MANDEVILLE THUM.

Witnesses JNO. C. SIMs, Jr., GEO. W. BACON;

